Xbox 360 Top 10: Where's My DLC?

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These games need to be extended.

By IGN Xbox 360 Team

Part of the promise of Xbox Live has been the extension of games beyond what is on the disc. The experience isn't supposed to end with the last level anymore. Sometimes that promise goes unfulfilled or under delivers. What begins as assurances that we'll see more downloadable content than we can imagine often fizzles into one or two extra maps before the games slip through the cracks and our attention turns to the next big release. Today IGN Xbox 360 is looking back to the past to put the spotlight on games we feel need more of the DLC treatment.

10. Fallout 3 Bethesda may have just released its massive post-apocalyptic role-playing epic a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean we aren't already salivating like Dogmeat for some downloads. For starters, any new content would presumably bring with it a patch to clear up a few of those nagging bugs that have plagued some Fallout 3 players. Even if you haven't seen all there is to offer in the Capital Wasteland (and we're betting that you haven't), nobody would complain about a patch.

Let's not forget that this game was made by the creators of the infamous Horse Armor download in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. What goofy download might we expect this time? Perhaps we'll get Dogmeat armor. In all seriousness, we'd love some new big side quests, more unique weapons and armor, and anything that lifts the level cap so that we can go past 20. At E3 this year, Microsoft and Bethesda announced that Fallout 3 would see exclusive downloads for PC and Xbox 360. It's time to make good on that sales pitch.

9. Too Human After years of hype, Silicon Knights' first part of a planned trilogy didn't exactly meet with critical success. Nevertheless, a fair number of people bought the game and they shouldn't be left out to dry. All of the menus of Too Human have hooks for DLC, but none of it has ever materialized. Extra armor, runes, customization options and more all would make perfect sense in Too Human. Sadly, they seem to have been nixed.

More worrisome is what the lack of DLC for Too Human means for the future of the trilogy. If the first one didn't sell well enough to warrant some downloads, how likely is it that we'll see the next two games? Not to mention the fact that people who bought the first game are probably feeling burned by the unfulfilled promise and lack of support for the community. If MS wants to salvage this franchise, it's time to release some extra downloads.

8. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise It's strange how much the pendulum can swing. The first Viva Piñata game had its share of extra downloads in the form of things to dress your piñatas up in. All of it was overpriced and a lot of it probably went unbought by just about everybody. Rather than change strategies and release more compelling downloads, the idea seems to have been scrapped.

High-priced costumes for piñatas are not our idea of a good download, but adding new piñatas to the garden world would be perfect. Trouble in Paradise fixed a lot of what was wrong with the first one, but didn't add a heck of a lot of new piñatas. We'd like to see that corrected through Xbox Live Marketplace.

7. Gears of War 2 OK, Epic's sequel just released, so its inclusion on this list may seem a tad premature. The reason we put it on is the Flashback Map Pack. This download can only be had by entering a code that comes with new copies of the game. It's an interesting way of encouraging people to buy Gears of War 2 new rather than purchasing used copies, but we all know that some people aren't going to know about this and will wind up buying it used anyway. Why not give them the option of buying the pack and joining in on the fun of the extra maps too? Microsoft would make a buck and those who bought the game used wouldn't feel like they got burned.

6. Saints Row 2 Saints Row 2 is a big open world gangster game with plenty of missions, activities and random side quests to tackle. But with any open world, it has to come to an end sometime. With DLC, all we would need is more of it. More vehicles (fighter jets with missiles would be cool), more missions, more outfits to strap on your character, more fighting styles, more weapons, and fresh and inventive activities that could stand with the likes of Septic Avenger.

Other DLC ideas are more multiplayer focused. There are two awesome competitive activities for players to take part in during a co-op game: standard deathmatch and Cat and Mouse. Cat and Mouse is easily some of the most fun you'll have with the game, so why not add other modes like it to co-op? Then there are the expected competitive multiplayer maps and modes that could be downloaded to extend the game's lifespan.